I wish to spread awareness about a disease that has struck several times in the recent months. It moves very, very, very fast, often killing within 12-24 hours. Nothing is known about this disease except that it is a bacterial disease that causes rapid and acute tissue necropsy and that it seems to strike blue bettas in particular. Several people are working on identifying this disease, including veterinary student DarkMoon17, but WE NEED YOUR HELP.

If you have a betta who develops the following symptoms or dies, please DO NOT DISPOSE OF THE BODY. It is very important that we have a body to send in for a necropsy. Several people have volunteered to take the bodies to local universities or veterinary clinics near them. All we need you to do is save the body and contact DarkMoon17 or me immediately.

The symptoms of this disease are:

* graphite gray or near black tissue necropsy that spreads from the bottom of the fins upward to the body within hours
* sudden loss of mobility as the swim bladder is affected
* death or conditions so severe that they require euthanasia within 12-24 hours, occasionally as long as 36 hours

The betta will look something like this:

There have been speculations about what it is, including suggestions that it is an acute strain of columnaris, but NOTHING IS KNOWN FOR CERTAIN. PLEASE DO NOT post speculations about what this disease may be unless you have been able to identify the disease through lab work. Such speculations only cause aggressive debate.

Any and all cooperation is much appreciated as we work to identify this disease so we can figure out a way to combat it. Thank you very much.

"We would need the fish to be preserved in a formalin solution. You can get a container fornbiopsis from your local vet. The vet may suggest a place to send it or if the person is close to a vet school or college campus they can see if there is anyone there willing to do a me necropsy on it. If not, my father (veterinary pathologist-studies diseases & makes medications) said that he would do a necropsy if possible."

Im not sure if this is the same thing.... but I just wanted to post it up just in case there is similarities since during the time it was going on no one stepped up to assist me

Avenger started showing symptoms of what I at first though was inflamed gills with slight finrot
it quickly became obvious it was more than that, the tips of his fins were a light gray, his gills continue to have problems as I had him, he would go through bouts where he just stopped moving and would just sit there, either floating at the top or bottom for days, often he would refuse to eat shortly before, during, and after these bursts. His fins would occasionally out break out worse and he would loose huge chunks or have random bleeding from them, I kept him on high doses of AQ salt to prevent any infections since as I had him longer his fins got worse and worse along with the fact one of his gills had started to curl out, I also put him on Jungle parasite treatment.... while he did not seem to get better, he did not get any worse, I did eventually loose him, along with a few other bettas from a freak accident that caused a power outage and as a result, issues with the heaters in those tanks

It would be interesting to know where these bettas were bred too. Obviously, they couldn't have all come from the same breeder because the cases have occurred around the world and at different times. Here in the States, where you are in Canada, even in India. There's a possibility it's like each blue betta bred anywhere in the world has a 1 in something chance of carrying this genetic defect. Like there's a 1 in something chance a child could be born with this disease or something like that.

You actually bring up an interesting point... Avenger was the last betta I bought from my walmarts old breeder... they wouldnt tell me the name of the breeder, but I bought 4-5 bettas right before Avenger from that breeder.... most were white with blue and one was purple... all died within 1-2 days and all had the same gill problem as Avenger and what I thought was finrot

Is this unknown disease called maine, or is maine completely different?
Also, has this new disease been recorded in Ontario? Getting a new fishie soon, don't wanna go through this Dx
@SpinOut - isn't that just his beard? just a speculation..

Maine was my blue betta, swept by the disease overnight. I tracked everything during the disease, including how ich moved far from the disease's reach. The disease has not been competely determined as to what it is, although "necrosis" or something HAS been mentioned, but there is no strong liable proof to say it is, or is not. It is basically a bacteria, eating live tissue - leaving you with a half dead fish from anywhere between 2-24 hours (which is the usual) or anywhere up to 72 hours. Most of the bettas who got it, were healthy beforehand. Riddle wasn't - he was the second betta who got it, that I owned. Now my last blue Shadow is on high watch ><

Usually, a black "lace" as it is called, you can easily tell from a "greyed" or "rotted" edge. Often, a rotted edge will look rougher, duller, and thinner than a simple laced edge. I have had a betta who had the pretty black lacing...

And okay, so he was about 10-11 months we'll say. I've noticed it is between 10 and 15 months bettas have been attacked with this disease... It's just a hunch, not a fact Luckily, I got Kanaplex in the mail today!!! Now if Shadow ever gets it... I'll be able to fight fire with fire.

I took a trip to a local petsmart (and by that I mean an hour away)
and they had some GORGEOUS bogs and girls...
but...
while looking through them I noticed EVER SINGLE BLUE MALE HAD THIS.... THING
I wish I had been able to take pictures (no phone/camera right now), some of the reds and a GORGEOUS marble VT had it, it was DISGUSTING how bad some of them were... especially since this petsmart has always taken AMAZING care of their bettas campared to some places...(slight finrot problems occassionally) \
I tried to get one of the employees to tell me the supplier (surprisingly she was VERY well knowledged on bettas, I heard her talking to a guy who was interested in one) and she said she couldnt, but she called the manager over, in the end, the manager refused to tell me the name of the breeder, but she did say they were no longer purchasing from them (explains why they had a new shipment of GORGEOUS bettas... including amazing looking DTHM) she said they had been trying to treat some of them, but nothing seems to have been working, I gave her the name of the site and told her some people had luck with Kanaplex... she said she would give it a try... but I don't think the ones already affected will make it (I think she is going to start treating the others from that shipment)